Familiar Strangers
by anna becker
Summary: One month has gone by, one month since Lily and Aaron finally found each other again. Settled down and planning their future, they are happy and content. Good things don't necessarily stay that way for long as a shadow emerges to exact revenge, a kidnapping takes place and a long though dead sister returns.
1. Chapter 1

**So here we go again. Enjoy and let me know what you think**.

Prologue: Unforgivable

It was unforgivable. They had taken her, made her and when the chips were down they had abandoned her, left her for dead. She hadn't been a right fit, they had said, not what they were looking for but they had been wrong. She could have been the best, she was the best. Getting them to see that, now that was a true test. She had heard chatter about a few of the agents that had broken away and disappeared. They had been good agents too but had grown week. If she could eliminate them or better yet bring them in then they would have to acknowledge that she was the best. She had found her leverage almost by accident, a happy accident in fact and she decided to use it for all its worth. Now he would come, she had her and he would come, she thought as she looked over at the figure she had tied up and gagged in the corner of the basement. She had found this out of the way house and the basement made a perfect hiding spot for her work. Her guest in the corner seemed to cower back in fear when she saw her looking at her, which was good because that meant she was afraid and would try anything. She needed her to be a good hostage until she got what she needed. It wouldn't be easy. This particular agent she was trying to snare was good. She had come up against him before and it had ended badly for her. It made her, however, more determined to get the job done and to prove herself.

When she had first applied for the program she was young and what they really needed at the time but as it went on the discovered things about her that didn't make her a good candidate. She was unstable they said, which made her a liability. On her first mission she had been taken but hostels and for four months she had been tortured relentlessly. They had broken her and no one had come for her so she had to do it on her own. This made her stronger and better but they still wouldn't take her back. They had said she was too broken and was made a liability. She had never forgiven them for that so she made her own way and now she was going to prove them wrong. First she had to get what she came for.

"It won't be long now. He is coming for you." She said to her guest in a voice slightly above a whisper. She took a step to her with a cup of water in her hand, a peace offering so to speak. "Here, we need to keep you hydrated. I can't have you dying on me now." She said as she bent down removing her gag. The girl looked at her, eyes wide with fear and she seemed almost childlike, an innocence that she had long forgotten. Tears streaked her face and she could barely swallow past the lump in her throat. She had been screaming some hours before and with no one around she wasn't heard. She had gagged her for not out of fear of her being heard but for her own peace of mind.

The girl took small sips of water still eyeing her afraid she would strike.

"Have no fear as long as you are a good girl and do as you are told, you will be reunited with your loved one soon enough.

"Why are you doing this?" The girl asked in a raw voice which made her want to scream. She tightened her grip on the cup in her hand and closed her eyes as she waited for the rage to pass. When it had she took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

"Well you see it's like this, I need them to see me and if I bring in one of their wayward agents, they will see me and I get what I want. But you gave me a whole different opportunity. Your beloved is not only an agent but also the brother of another one. So maybe I can get both." She could feel herself getting excited over her train of thought.

"What do you want?" The girl asked again getting braver with each question, but she didn't really care. She loved moments like these as she spilled out the rest of her thoughts.

"What I want is really no concern of yours, but what you can give me is so much more." She paused before she continued. "You see, your lover's brother has a girl himself and she my dear child is your sister." She stood up with a look of triumph and truly enjoyed the look of confusion on her face, which quickly turned to fear.

"My sisters dead." She simply stated.

"That's what they want you to think." Before she could say anything more she replaced the gag as the girl shook her head from side to side trying to fight what she had just told her. This girl, this child had been passed from capture to capture all to lure out this one agent. Now she had her and she would be the one to bring them both in. She turned and walked up the stairs of the basement and took one last look at her house guest. It wouldn't be long now. She could feel the excitement of the hunt and she turned off the light plunging the basement into complete darkness and closed the door, locking it behind her. What they had done was unforgivable and what she was about to do was equally unforgivable.

**Hey, let me know what you think! Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for your support and for reading. I am so glad that you are enjoying these stories as much as I am in creating them. So here we go and enjoy. Once again thanks for reading.**

Chapter One: Worries

Lily's POV

It had been four weeks; four weeks since Aaron had found his way back to her. Four weeks since life had finally slowed down to a manageable pace. No one was following them; no one was trying to kill them and no one wanting something from them. It was blissful, she was happy and it was perfect, too perfect. Maybe because of recent events had led her to this conclusion, but she had a sinking feeling it wasn't over just yet. Yes she was beyond happy when Aaron had asked her to marry him and yes she was happy that they were in her parent's old house in Shannon Ireland but she still felt as if something was off, as if she was missing some vital piece of information. Throughout the last two years she had managed to escape with her life more than once, learned how to wield a frying pan, found the love of her life, his twin brother and that her sister was alive. She had brought down a major threat, been kidnapped by said twin brother only to find out he wasn't so bad, really, shot, hit, stuck in the leg, chased by bats, survived a wicked sea storm and a snow storm. Maybe in reality she was board, or crazy.

Aaron on the other hand seemed to adjust to this slow pace a lot better than she had. The O'Callaghan's who had been friends of her parents and who had taken her in had offered both of them a job in their inn. Aaron would help William with the upkeep while she would help Molly with the guests and cleaning. A quiet life, a good life, a boring life. Fine she was board and antsy and needed to do something. A few time she had tried to get Aaron to tell her about his time away and if he had found both her sister and his brother. He wouldn't tell her much, just that Alex was okay and that Sarah would be found very soon. Nothing more. So she found a project, planning a wedding. Sure neither one had much family to speak of but it was going to be good. Her only wish was for her sister to be there. She had long thought her sister was dead, and she had blamed herself so many times. The thought of her being alive was almost too much to comprehend. So she threw herself into whatever she could and let herself be taken away in this quiet life style. Still she couldn't shake the feeling that something more was out there.

As she was having these thoughts, she sat at a table in the cozy little kitchen where she was working on a flower arraignment. She had taken wild flowers that she had found and was working on some elaborate design which had become popular with the guest. Maybe she had found her niche in life and she found it calming; whichever the case she had spent several hours gathering and creating. She found that by keeping her hands busy, her mind wouldn't wonder and come up with several outlandish scenarios that would break up this happiness. She had just put the finishing touches on her last basket when a pair arms went around her and pulled her against him. She could feel him smile as he kissed her ear and said.

"Pretty."

"You think? I wasn't too sure about some of these colors." She said as she turned the basket around so that she could see all sides of the arrangement.

"I'm not talking about the flowers Sweetheart." He said with a chuckle. He turned the stool she was sitting on around so that she was now facing him.

"Oh" Was all she said and she could feel her cheeks grow warmer which made him smile even more.

"I like that I have that effect on you." He said as he reached up and traced a finger down the length of her nose. "But are you going to tell me what is really on your mind?"

"It's nothing really, just some worries." She said as she smiled up at him. He looked at her with concern before he spoke.

"You are happy here, right?" his concern for her every day was always so touching.

"Of course I am I'm just having a hard time adjusting to the quiet, that's all."

"And you miss your sister and you feel as if you need to do more than sit around arranging flowers." He added

"Yes" She said in a quiet voice as he pulled her in for a hug. It really shouldn't surprise her that he could read her so well. He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head.

"Okay, so I should tell you what I found when I went to find Alex." He took a deep breath before he continued. She looked up at him and waited. "I did find Alex and not in very good shape. I was going to bring him back here but before I could, he disappeared again and now I don't know where he is again."

"I'm sorry Aaron." She said as she wrapped her arms around him holding him close. He looked down at her and said.

"He found her Lil and then he lost her again. I knew what I would feel if that had happened to me so I let him go."

"What do you mean he lost her again?"

"We found the place where they were keeping her and we were just about to move in when the whole place went up. We were so close, he could see her and then she was gone. You should have seen his face when he had lost her. It was as if his whole world had ended."

"Is she still alive?" Lily asked almost afraid of the answer.

"Yes, but I don't know for how long. Alex was supposed to get back in contact with me and I haven't heard."

"So what do we do?" Lily asked fighting back tears.

"Well, we wait. For now we wait." So they sat there holding each other waiting and worrying.

**So let me know what you think and thanks for reading**


	3. Chapter 3

**So sorry that it has taken so long to post. It has been crazy busy here and I've only had time to do the important like eat and sleep. So without further ado…**

Chapter Two: Silence Broken

Aaron's POV

Silence, that's what had greeted Aaron once he had made his way to Ireland. Silence on his brothers end. He hadn't heard from Alex since he found him after he had saved Lily's life from Eric Byler, the man who had tried to control both of their lives not that long ago. Alex, the brother he hadn't known he had, had spent the last year and a half trying to kill him only to find out later that they had taken her away from him. The love of his life had been taken and Alex would go to any stream to get her back, something Aaron knew and understood first hand. Once he was sure that Lily was safe, he had gone to look for Alex. It had taken him a while but he had found him and in such a state Aaron couldn't believe his eyes. He had found him in a run-down room somewhere in South Africa. Alex looked as if he hadn't slept or eaten in days. He was half delirious and kept repeating it was his fault. This was so different from the man he had been on the run from not that long ago. Once Aaron had gotten him settled down he had questioned Alex only to find out that twenty-four hours before he had lost her yet again. He had been so close and it had slipped through his fingers. Aaron had spent the next few days trying to get Alex back on his feet and getting as much information out of his brother as he could. He discovered that Alex had set up an exchange himself for Sarah, only to have her taken again by someone else before the exchange could take place. The two of them had discovered that Sarah had been taken by a rogue agent with something to prove. Her name was Yamina Rivkin and she had been trained by Mossad, due to the nature of her mental state she had been pushed out and not even the Facility wanted her. She was loose cannon with something to prove.

Alex and Aaron had made it close to where Rivkin had her only to discover she had gotten away. That was when Alex decided he needed to go it alone.

"Protect what you have brother and don't let her go." Alex had told him before they parted once again.

"You can't do this alone." Aaron had told him "You are not in this alone." Alex had turned to look at his twin brother and gave him one of his famous half smiles.

"I know that now, but this is something I need to do and when the time comes you had better be ready." They had parted ways then Alex on route to find Sarah and Aaron to find Lily. He knew right where to find her and he knew then and there what he must due. If he had learned anything from his brother it was to hold on to what you loved the most and to not let go, so he had asked her to marry him and she was only too happy to except. He was living a quiet existence now, content and the happiest he had ever been but he was restless and anxious. He could tell that Lily felt the same way and was worried about her sister. What a pair they made! He found a brother he didn't even know existed and she had found her sister she thought was dead. Yet here they were living the quiet life and no word from the outside. He had told Lily a little about what had happened but he didn't want to worry her needlessly. He had a bad feeling things were about to get very interesting and he wasn't sure if he was going to like the outcome. So he waited for the silence to be broken, then one morning it was. He was busy helping William with some landscaping when Alex made the phone call. It wasn't however what Aaron had thought it might be. It was a warning; Rivkin was in Ireland looking for him and Lily. Aaron had left the landscaping and ran to the cabin he and Lily shared and where he had left her only to find it empty. Furniture overturned, books scattered on the floor and no Lily. Aaron felt his pulse quicken and his anger rise. Would this ever end or was he destined to have everything taken from him. He turned to run back to the inn to almost running into William who had followed him out of concern.

"What happened here?" He asked with a worried sound in his voice.

"I'm not sure but I think Lily has been taken."

"She is being held to draw us out" A voice said behind them. They both turned around to see Alex standing behind them. "I would have called you sooner but I wasn't even sure she was here."

"Rivkin has her doesn't she?" Aaron asked his brother who still looked as if he hadn't slept in days but his eyes read a new determination.

"She was headed this way and then I lost her again. She is good, but she keeps making mistakes. That's what worries me she is so unstable that she is unpredictable and I don't know what is really capable of."

"I can't reach my wife" William suddenly said holding a phone in his hand. "I thought maybe she knew where Lily is and she's not answering." The old man had a very worried and scared look in his eyes. Aaron took the phone from him and looked at him.

"We will find them, let's go up to the inn and see what's happening there. Maybe they are just not answering or are able to get to the phone."

The three men made their way and stopped short of the back door to the inn. They entered the kitchen and found that too a mess. They quietly made their way around the debris where an obvious struggle took place.

"Looks like your girl was at it again." Alex said with a tight smile. "That's good, she's a fighter." Aaron was just about to respond when he was alerted to a sound coming to the right of him in the pantry. He approached the door with his weapon drawn when the door flew open and he was cracked in the side of the head causing him to drop to his knees. He had the sensation of falling and then darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

**I know it's been a while so bear with me and thanks so much for hanging in there!  
**

Chapter Three: Scare Tactic

Aaron's POV

The first thing he remembered when he came to was his brother bending over him with a big old smile on his face, the second thing he realized was how badly his head hurt and the third thing he realized was that he had a sneaky suspicion what had hit him across the head.

"She really is a spit fire isn't she?" Alex said laughing. Aaron felt a hand on his head. He looked up to see a very worried and guilty set of eyes looking back at him. His head was in her lap and she was holding a cloth full of ice to a bump that was forming above his right eye.

"You finally did it, didn't you? You finally hit your target." He said to her. If his head didn't hurt so bad at that moment you might have found the humor in it all. She looked down at him looking even guiltier.

"I'm really, really sorry. I didn't know it was you."

"Hmm" He said as he tried to get up wincing as he did. It felt like something had split his skull. She helped him into a sitting position and quickly shoved something behind her back. The whole room seemed to spin for a moment and he closed his eyes to steady himself. "In all my life I have never seen anyone become so lethal with a frying pan."

"It was not a pan!" She stated with a look of triumph on her face. He opened one eye and looked at her.

"What was it then?'

"Um… do you really want to know?" She answered as she and Alex helped him into a chair. William and Molly stood by watching the scene before them. He held the ice to his head and then lowered it as he let Lily take a closer look.

"No I really don't" He answered her as he tried to smile at her rather painfully.

"Well the good thing is it didn't break the skin, you won't need stitches but you are going to a headache for a while and I don't see any signs of a concussion."

"Always knew my brother had a hard head." Alex said with another laugh which increased when both he and Lily glared at him.

"What are you doing here anyway Alex?" Lily asked "And where is my sister?" Alex took a deep breath as he surveyed the room.

"I need your help." He answered softly not meeting no one's eyes.

"Not sure I caught that there. You want to repeat that friend." Lily answered sarcastically.

"I need your help okay." He answered more loudly. "I can't find her without the two of you! Go figure" He turned away in disgust. Lily cast a satisfied smile in his direction and turned her attention back to him.

"So what happened here?" Aaron asked Lily who suddenly stilled as if lost in thought. "Lily?" He asked her when she didn't answer right away.

"I'm not sure; Molly and I had just come in to this. But I had this feeling that someone was still in here, I thought you were them so we hide in the pantry." Alex suddenly looked alarmed and straightened. He and Aaron looked at each other.

"She might still be here." Aaron said as Alex started toward the door way.

"Who is here?" Lily asked "Is it Sarah?"

"No, but she is someone who has her." Aaron answered and he suddenly pulled Lily to him, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I thought you had been taken. This woman who has your sister, she is a dangerous one with no conscience and is willing to do anything to get what she wants." Lily looked up at him and spoke.

"So is she one of you, was she part of the program." Lily asked him.

"In a sense." Aaron answered and then Alex cut in.

"She wanted to be but she was deemed too unstable and unpredictable. She didn't like that so now she is trying to get even that includes gathering any other way ward agents she sets her sights on and we are it."

"She does realize the facility no longer exists, right?"

"In her head they do which makes her a huge threat." Aaron then turned to William and Molly who were standing in the door way clinging to each other.

"I'm sorry we brought this to you, it's not your fight but I'm guessing she is still in the immediate area and the two of you should find a place to lay low for a few days." William nodded his head in agreement before he answered.

"I have a sister in the next town over. We can go there for a few days." Aaron nodded in encouragement.

"You should leave as soon as you can." He then turned to Alex. "We need to check the rest of the property to make sure she's not still here. This was all a scare tactic on her part and it has worked." Then he turned to Lily but before he could say anything she spoke.

"Don't for one minute even think about hiding me away or locking me in a closet. I'm going to help you look." Aaron opened his mouth to speak but Alex spoke first.

"I wouldn't argue if I were you brother, she already cracked you in the head once." Aaron glared at Alex and continued.

"Alright but you stay behind me and if I say run you run, if say get down, you get down. Got it?" She gave him a mock salute and he just shook his head. She sure kept him on his toes. They separated and started to explore the property, Alex on the outside Lily and Aaron on the inside. After a few tense moments of searching they came back together.

"I don't think…" Alex started to say when a noise could be heard above them in the upstairs of the cottage. Alex and Aaron had their guns drawn and Aaron spoke to Lily in a hushed voice.

"I need you to go and hide in the basement, no arguments and without looking he gently pushed her in the general direction. She reluctantly went and when she was out of sight the two brothers made their way up the stairs. After they had searched each room only to find them all empty they came back down stairs and did one more sweep. When they met up again in the front room Aaron turned to Alex.

"Where is she?"

"Hiding, she is here I can feel it."

"I'm going to go get Lily and then we need to regroup, figure out our next step." Aaron walked to the basement to find he couldn't get the door opened and he could her someone struggling below. He used his shoulder to break in the door and make his way down the stairs.

"Lily!" He shouted. He found her with a gun pointed at her head; the masked assailant then shot the gun at the light bulb casting the room in pitch blackness as Lily screamed.

**So I know it's been a while and I had to regroup myself so enjoy and thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for reading and for being patent. So here's to another chapter, let me know what you think. Thanks and enjoy!**

Chapter Four: Taken

Lily's POV

It was dark in the basement. Dark, damp and reeked of "don't go down there" and yet she went down there. Someone was in the cottage, someone who wanted them. She was so worried about being board and here she was again running for her life. Someone sure had a strange sense of humor where she was concerned.

She stopped for a minute at the top of the stairs and let her eyes adjust to the darkness. She had the sensation that someone was watching her and she strained her eyes to see. No shadows moved no noises could be heard so she slowly made her way down the stairs a few steps at a time. She hadn't been able to find a light switch so all she had was her sense of touch until she reached the bottom. Once at the bottom she reached up and felt for the chain that was attached to a light bulb above her head. She pulled the chain bathing the basement in a dim light. She squinted to get a better look only finding what one would usually find in a basement, boxes, a variety of tools, spiders. She gave a little shutter at the thought of the eight legged little creeps and tried not to see them. Well it could be worse; it could be bats, which she equally, strongly disliked. Just as she had dismissed the fact that she was alone, she heard the slight noise of movement. Just a whisper of a sound and if she hadn't been paying attention, she wouldn't have heard it. She was standing next to the workbench and made a quick grab for a screw driver which she tucked up into her shirt sleeve. She then grabbed a hammer and quickly turned around to find a figure with dressed in black with a mask covering their face. Lily let out an involuntary gasp as the intruder made a grab for her and held the hammer up to strike. The intruder ducked out of the way quickly and knocked the hammer from her hand. Before Lily could respond a hand was at her throat and she was being pushed up against the wall. The sudden lack of air was making her light headed and her vision start to darken. She struggled only to find the grip tighten and she let herself go slack so that the grip loosened. When it did, Lily slide the screw driver from her sleeve and with what little strength she had left, she drove the screw driver as hard and deep as she could into the assailants left leg. She heard a shot and was thrown to the ground. She gasped as she was finally able to breathe. The assailant, which from the sounds of it was in a lot of pain, was grasping the screw driver from there leg trying to pull it out. Blood was pooling at their feet which made the air think with the coopery smell. Lily decided to take a change and grabbed a two by four that was lying on the floor. She picked it up and went to use it as a bat only to discover the assailant had recovered enough to retrieve their hand gun, which she was now staring down the barrel of.

At that moment the door at the top of the basement flew open and Aaron came down with his gun drawn. Her assailant grabbed her once again, putting her between them and the gun to her head. Suddenly the light over head was shot out and the basement once again plunged into darkness. She felt herself being dragged backwards and a slight prick of a needle in the back of her neck. When she woke up again, her head was throbbing, her mouth was dry, she was sitting in a chair and her hands and feet were tied up. She blinked her eyes several times to ride the grit from them. Crouched in front of her was a very small, very intimidating woman. She seemed to be about her age with long dark hair that was tied back in a loose pony tail. She wore dark fatigues with a matching tank top and military grade boots. She had a hip holster, a knife strapped to her thigh. Lily knew that there were probably other weapons stashed on her purpose. Her face seemed young and old at the same time and her eyes were cold, and lacked life. This was a dangerous person, one who didn't have anything left to lose.

"You have caused quite a bit of trouble Doctor and you've severely injured one of my best men. I hear he will survive although he will never be of use to me again."

"Who are you?" Lily asked through a thick voice

"I'm nobody. Just a faceless nightmare, that's what they call me. No I'm no body." What!? Lily thought as she shook her head.

"Fine, nobody, and what do you want!" This caused a slight chuckle, evil sounding at that.

"I've got what I want; you are my ace in the hole. You are going to be very useful to me. But first I need to get you ready. They will come for you and we will be ready."

"You're not hinged too tightly are you?" Lily asked sarcastically and immediately regretted it because she received a very hard back hand which slit her lip and rocked her head back with a snap.

"Now look what you made me do." She said as she stood to her full height. "I don't like doing that, you made me slip." She reached down and pulled Lily to her feet roughly. "It's time to put you away with the other rats." She kicked the now unoccupied chair away and moved a rug. Underneath was a trapped door that let down to yet another dark whole. Great what other creepy crawlies would she be sharing space with this time. After all of this was over, she knew she would need lots of therapy and sleeping with all the lights on.

"You have something against lights; it's kind of dark down there." She was then shoved roughly down the whole and as the door closed was told. "Don't bother screaming, nobody can hear you." The door was closed and she sat in darkness. The darkness was bad enough but what scared her even more was something suddenly toughed her leg and it wasn't something small.

**Thanks for reading and thanks for the patience. Happy belated birthday BJ. Sorry it took so long but I hope this made up for it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**So sorry it's been so long my friends but real life has gotten in the way. Now that things have finally started to slow down I can return to my happy place. So enjoy, thanks for hanging in there and please, please review. So onward and upward…**

Chapter Five: That Small and Dark Space

Lily's POV

Okay, she told herself, don't freak out, and don't show fear. Living things can smell fear and for the love of all things, don't have four legs and a tail. She was afraid that if it ended up being a four legged little demon then she would completely lose her nerve and start screaming like a little girl. It was bad enough she was being held by a tiny little psycho assassin, that she could handle, it was the thought of being trapped in this small dark space with a rodent that kept toughing her leg. She nearly crawled out of her skin when whatever it was wrapped its boney fingers around her upper calf. What, wait, it had a hand.

"Please tell me you don't have a tail." She whispered into the dark. The hand slowly crept up her leg and she could feel more than see a face hover mire inches from her own.

"Okay, who ever you are, I have special issues in really small places and it has suddenly gotten a whole lot smaller." She felt thin fingers in her hair and she flinched involuntarily and then stopped. Lily remembered when she was a kid her sister would crawl into bed with her when she was scared and living with their uncle, it was frequent. Sarah would twirl Lily's hair in her finger as a security thing. It was soothing to her and helped her cope. Lily didn't dare to say anything at first; afraid the dream wasn't real or her current nightmare as well. She held her breath as the fingers gripped a piece of her hair and she heard the whisper of a voice she long thought dead.

"Lily?" The voice still sounded childlike; full of wonder and fear but wanting to know what was next. Lily could feel tears spring to her eyes. After so many years of thinking she was dead, only finding out recently she was still alive, it was almost unbelievable that they were just inches from one another and she still couldn't see her.

She didn't think she couldn't speak and took a deep breath. The voice spoke again.

"Lily, are you there? She said she would bring you if I stayed quiet."

"Yes, I'm here." She said and she snaked her arm around her sister pulling her close. If she couldn't see her she could at least have her close by. She brushed her sister's hair away from her face as if she was still a child. "They told me you were dead, that you had died when they took you away. They wouldn't let me go to you. I am so sorry they took you from me, I'm so sorry I didn't try to find you."

"They told me you went away and then they fixed me, gave me things to help me think more clearly. I knew you wouldn't just disappear and I knew they told you I was gone so I waited until I was strong enough to come find you. Besides you did find me, you are here now." Sarah said back to her tightening her grip around her sister.

"I shouldn't have given up, there was nothing for them to fix, and you are just a kid." Lily was trying so hard to hold it together, trying to be strong because that was what she was.

"I was broken Lily, we both were." That did her in and she started to cry, she cried for her sister, for what they had done to her. She cried for the parents she had lost and she cried for the cruelty they had grown up with. She cried until she had nothing left, telling her sister over and over again how sorry she was, that she should had been there. She cried clinging to the baby sister she had though long gone.

Aaron's POV

He never should have let himself feel safe in a place like this. He had let his guard down and now they had taken her. After the lights went out and she was gone, Aaron's initial response was to follow but Alex had another thought.

"She expects us to follow, that's what she is banking on. Now we need to play this smart if we intend to bring our girls out of this alive." Reluctantly Aaron agreed with his brother and slowly nodded his head in response.

"What do you suggest?"

"I have an idea where she is hiding so we need to go in quiet and get a look around but we have to wait until night fall."

"I don't want to wait." Aaron growled. The longer they waited the further away she felt. They had been separated so many times, always finding themselves back but when would that luck run out. He was so afraid of losing the one person he loved more than life itself.

"I know you don't like to wait brother, but remember you're not the only one with something to lose." This made Aaron stop and really look at his brother for the first time. He had been so worried about Lily that he had forgotten that Alex was going through the same thing. Having the one you loved in danger made you a different person all together.

"I'm sorry Alex; I keep forgetting you are going through this as well." Alex nodded to him.

"I've just had longer to adjust to it but we need to be smart about this, put our emotions in check and focus on the mission." He patted his brother on the back to get him moving.

Toward night fall they had a solid plan and had started to load whatever weapons they could carry on their person.

"I feel like I'm going off to war." Aaron said looking at his brother. This caused Alex to smile for a minute before he responded.

"I was thinking it was feeling more like a western." Aaron looked at him confused.

"A western?"

"Yeah, you know gearing up before we ride off to save our women." Aaron chuckled a little.

"I would love to hear Lily's response to that one."

"She would kick my butt but Sarah would swoon all over it."

"I doubt that. They are after all related." Alex returned the chuckle

"So what do you say?"

"I say we go and rescue our women." With that they raced out into the night ready to take back what was theirs.

**Okay, I know a little cheesy but what can I say. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**So friends, I'm a bit stuck so any ideas are appreciated. If I use your idea I will give you a shout out. So please, please give me some feedback. Thanks and enjoy!**

Chapter Six: When Good Men Go To War

Aaron's POV

When good men go to war it's to save the ones they love from tyranny, danger and oppression. They protect them from the evil and ugliness of the world to make a better place for their families. Sometimes when good men go to war it's to take back something that was stolen from them. Aaron Cross sure felt like he was going to war. Armed to the teeth with any kind of gun, ammo, knives, and explosives he could carry. He was marching into unknown territory with a brother he hardly knew to take back his soon to be wife and her sister which had been kidnapped by a deranged, misguided soul who was at war with everything around her. Yes the kidnapper was a woman and Aaron had never made it his mission to go to war against such an enemy but she was lethal and completely unstable. He had these horrible images on what she was doing to the girls.

Yamina Rivkin was a very scary individual; she was trained by both Mossad and the people who had created Aaron and his brother Alex. This made her unpredictable with absolutely nothing to lose and a lot more to gain. She was cunning and ruthless and she knew every known tactic that he knew. He would have to think outside the box and this one was a dozy; when he presented his plan to Alex he just looked at him as if he had just gone off the deep end.

"Why don't we just do what we set out so?" Alex asked, still not completely convinced it would work and not really interested in trying it.

"What, storm the castle with guns a blazing? We can't that's what Rivkin is expecting. We have to think outside the box." Aaron stated with more confidence then he really felt.

"Yes but does it have to be that outside of the box? Can't you at least be in the vicinity so that we can hop in if we need a backup plan?"

"We don't need a backup plan and have a little faith will you. It will work trust me." Aaron said flashing him a dare of a grin.

"I still think you are off your rocker. It's never going to work." Alex answered shaking his head.

"You're just mad that you lost at rock, paper, scissors."

"I didn't know the rules! I need a redo!" Alex grumbled.

"Oh come on brother, just think how much more heroic it will be to Sarah when you are the one to rescue her by crawling through a sewage pipe. Besides I will be the one causing the most distraction. Find the girls and I'll set the detonators."

"Over kill don't you think?"

"I want to make sure that Rivkin is stopped. I want to make sure that we send a message to anyone who comes after us. This has been going on for far too long. Who knows how many other operatives are still out there with something to prove."

"I agree but does it have to involve me crawling through a drainage pipe." They had discovered where the girls were being kept or at least where Rivkin was hiding. She had chosen an isolated place far from any town or village but satellites had picked up a lot of activity in this area. When they had scouted it out they had discovered that she had built a fortress of sorts and about the only way in was through the said drainage pipe. That and straight through the front door which was the way he was going, kind of.

From what they had discovered the entire property was surrounded by a high fence, much like it would be in a gated community and the entrance was a gate way that needed someone from the inside to open it, well unless you were willing to force your way in. Aaron took another minute to look at the lay of the land through the binoculars as they stood on the ridge that over looked the property. He took a deep breath and looked back at his brother.

"You ready for this?"

"I still think you're crazy, but I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be. Are you ready?" Alex asked him, giving him a sideways glance.

"Yup"

"Are you sure?"

"Yup"

"You don't sound like you're ready."

"Yup"

"Okay then." Alex said with a nod. "So is the decoy ready?"

"Where did you get all of those explosives anyway?" Aaron asked as he seemed to snap back to the here and now. Alex gave a sly little before he answered.

"Do you really want to know?" Aaron turned to the stock pile that had been wired up to a big truck.

"No, not really. We just really need this to work."

"We have enough to cause a diversion so big that it will be seen in space" Alex answered with a snicker.

"That's the point so let's get this started." Aaron turned to the truck with Alex close behind. "So I will give you ten minutes to get to the other side of the property and then I'm going to light these fireworks."

"Good luck brother" Alex said and then he left. Aaron knew the probability of this succeeding was zero to none but it had to be done. He needed his Lily back. After the ten minute mark Aaron got ready. He carefully started the truck and eased it on the road that lead to the gate, once he was in position, he light the fuse, jammed the accelerator, and jumped clear. He watched from the road as the truck sped toward the gate in a fairly straight line. Just as the truck hit the gate it blew up in a giant fireball. The wall of heat, metal, and the blast itself threw him further into the bushes landing him on his back side. Yes when a good man goes to war he makes a big statement.

**Please, please, let me know what you think. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Yup, I'm back and on vacation. Maybe now I can do some updates. Fingers crossed and please review. Oh and I just found out that they were given the green light for yet another Bourne movie with MY favorite agent Aaron Cross once again being played by Mr. Jeremy Renner. Who is very happy with this news? This girl!**

Chapter Seven: Escape or Die Trying

Lily's POV

Sometime during the whole ordeal, Lily had fallen asleep with her sister's head on her shoulder. It had been a restless sleep, mostly out of nothing better to do and with it being so dark it was better than facing their current situation. She knew Aaron would come, she knew he would attempt a rescue but she wasn't sure if he would be successful. Their captor was shrewd and so full of anger she would be hard to take down. She worried at the lengths she would go to prove her point. Lily had gone to sleep praying, something she hadn't done in a long time. It had given her a sense of peace; she had after all found her sister and had already survived all of this. Someone out there had a bazar sense of humor or really liked testing her, whichever the case she really was regretting her previous thoughts about being bored.

"Lord, if we get out of this alive, I promise to never be bored again" She prayed to herself. She just hoped he was listening. It wasn't very long after that when she was suddenly jerked awake by the sound of a thunderous explosion. Sarah jerked up with a small screech as bits of their dirt ceiling rained down on them. The whole ground seemed to shift under their feet as a secondary explosion rocked them. Sarah clung to her once again as they tried to stand in their tiny space.

"What's going on Lily?" Sarah asked her in a shaky voice that matched her shaky body.

"I think our boys are attempting a rescue" Lily stated with somewhat of a smile. "They sure know how to make an entrance." She had to shout to be heard over the noise and rumbling.

Suddenly Lily had a disturbing thought. With the explosion came smoke and where there was smoke there was fire. There was no way she was going to be stuck underground with a fire overhead. It terrified her to even think about it. Her childhood trauma started to take over. She had to choke it down and focus on getting her sister out. She would not allow herself to be that helpless again.

"Okay sis, I'm going to check to see if we can get out of here. Feel around for anything we can use as a weapon or tool." She could feel Sarah take a shaky breath to regain her composure and bend down as if to reach for something. Lily in the meantime, felt along the walls and then up over her to where the door was located. Her fingers located the latch and she pushed up on the door. It was heavy, but surprisingly not locked. It felt as if something was on top of it. She strained to push up and then lost her grip, falling to the floor.

"It's not locked, but something is on top of the door. I don't think I can lift it." She sat there feeling defeated until her sister found her hand.

"Remember when we were kids and we were in that fire."

"That's kind of the reason I don't want to hang around."

"You said then that we would get through this together." She then stood up and pulled Lily up with her. "So let's get out of here, together." She saw and heard strength in her sister's voice that hadn't been there before.

"Okay" She said softly and then both sisters worked on pushing the door up. Finally after several tries and several minutes the door opened enough for Sarah to squeeze out and lift the door so that Lily could crawl out as well. Once the girls were out they stood up and surveyed the room. Smoke was thick and Lily could see the fire start to lick up the side of the walls.

"We have to find a way out" She shouted as she started to chock on the smoke. Stay low and follow me" Lily took her sisters hand and pulled her shirt up so that it covered her nose and mouth. After a few seconds she spied a window off to her right and went to it. Using her elbow she broke the glass and started to pull her sister through it when suddenly she felt a tug on her arm. She looked up to see her sister being pulled back by their capture. Before Lily could react however, Sarah pulled a rock she had stashed in her pocket and using her full weight, hit Rivkin full on in the face. The former Mossad agent let go, and fell back, clutching her face and screaming. Lily boasted her through the window and went to climb out instead. She felt a hand on her leg and she started to kick and scream. She foot connected with something, hopefully a nose and she heard Rivkin scream again but the grip on her foot never loosened and she was pulled back into the room. The fire had spread and the ceiling had started to cave in. Panic started to set in and her survival mode kicked in. No way would she die in here. No way would they win and with a final kick she was able to get her foot free and out the window. She fell to the ground and felt a pair of big, very wet and very smelly hands lift her up. She went into attack mode but stopped when she realized they belonged to Alex. She breathed a sigh of relief and instantly regretted it.

"Alex, what the heck? Did you decide to go swimming in sewage?"

"Funny, little girl, this was my brothers idea of a rescue."

"Where is Aaron?" Lily asked looking around.

"I need to go back to help him. He was going after Rivkin." He then turned to Sarah and spoke to both. "Run to the road way and stay in the bushes and ditch along the edge. We will catch up to you in a few."

"I don't want to go without you." Sarah said. Alex took a step to her but then stopped himself.

"I will come back, and before you say anything Lily…" He said as he turned to her. "I need you to get her away from here. Don't look back and don't try to come back." She started to protest but knew Alex was right. So she shook her head in agreement instead. She took her sisters hand and they ran, not looking back and ignoring every instinct to go after Aaron, but she needed to protect her sister.

They had just made it to the road and was going for the ditch when she heard a very unmistakable sound. She turned just in time to see a motorcycle bearing down on their location. She didn't think the driver had seen them and she pushed her sister into the ditch. Dropping down beside her they crept their way along until they came to an overhang of bushes and shrubs. Hiding in there, they had a clear view of the road but the drive wouldn't see them. They crouched down as the motorcycle approached and slowed. Lily felt her foot bump into something, looking down she realized it was an old tire iron and she quietly picked it up, just as Rivkin came into view.


	9. Chapter 9

**Back again! Let me know what you think.**

Chapter Eight: Fight Back

Lily's POV

Seconds felt like hours, Lily had pressed her sister into the bottom of the ditch as far as she could. Her grip on the tire iron tightened as the motorcycle seemed to come to a standstill right in front of their hiding place. Her heart seemed to stop and everything around her was silent. The grip on the bar tightened even more as Rivkin seemed to stare right back at her. She knew she couldn't see them but Lily could see her and the damage the two sisters had done to her face. It satisfied her in a strange sort of way that they had managed to inflict some sort of pain. It had also proven to make Rivkin more determined. Lily could see the blood on her face where Sarah had hit her and her nose where Lily had broken it where her foot had connected. What bothered her most was the look in her eyes, just plain scary and ticked off. Of course you would be too if someone had just flattened your nose. Lily almost felt bad about it, all most.

Rivkin scanned the area along the road and finally started to move on up the road. Lily waited for a little bit, hoping Alex and Aaron were not far behind.

"Okay, I think we need to head to the woods that are behind us. It means running out in the open but if we move now, she might not see us and we have a better chance in hiding in the woods." Lily said as Sarah sat up next to her.

"What about Alex?" She asked in a shaky voice.

"They will find us, they always do?"

"They?" Sarah asked her and it suddenly occurred to her that her sister didn't know about Aaron.

"Aaron is Alex's brother and it's a very long story I'll tell you when we get out of this." She hadn't seen him during the rescue and she tried to swallow her worry as she prepared to run but her sister's hand stopped her.

"You love him don't you? I can hear it in your voice." Her sister had always been perceptive.

"Funny thing sis, he's the one who saved us from the fire when we were kids." She didn't quit met her sister's questioning gaze. "I don't know what you remember about it but, I found him after I thought I had lost you." She felt her sister's hand on her arm.

"I do remember and I'm glad you found each other again." She gave Lily a reassuring smile. "They will be okay and we will talk when this is over. So let's do what we do best and run." So after one last look up the road to make sure it was clear they went up over the ditch and took off in a dead run. After being about half way across the field Lily heard the unmistakable sound of a motorcycle. Without breaking stride she looked behind her to confirm that Rivkin had indeed found them. Just a little bit more and they might be able to lose her in the woods and where the heck were the guys. She was starting to wonder if she was going to half to bring this lunatic down on her own and then she had a plan.

"Keep running! Don't look back!" She yelled to her sister and then she turned to face her enemy, tire iron still in hand. She had gotten really good at swinging a frying pan let's see how much damage she could do with an iron bar. She held it with both hands and when Rivkin, who apparently though she wasn't capable, drove right toward her, she decided to swing with all of her weight. The blow was loud, and the motorcycle kept going, minus its driver who now lay on the ground unmoving. Somehow she had made direct contact with her victim. She had hoped to inflict bodily harm on her, not kill her. She turned to run into the woods after Sarah but a built in conscience wouldn't let her leave until she at least checked to see if she was breathing. She saw that Sarah was almost at the tree line and went to go check, mentally cursing herself and telling her self that it was a very, very bad idea. She approached very slowly, still gripping her weapon. She reached down to see if she could feel a pulse, when she was satisfied she did, she stood only to have her feet fly off from under her as Rivkin seemingly came back to life. Yup, really bad idea, she thought as she landed hard on her back side. In an instant both women were on their feet facing each other. How Rivkin was still going strong was beyond her but she was ready for a fight as she stood at the ready, bloody and in obvious pain.

"You think I was easy to put down. You really think you can beat me." She yelled at Lily.

"Not really, I actually thought I had killed you. Kind of wishing now I had."

"You don't have it in you to kill. You're weak."

"Maybe, but one thing you should know about me, I won't back down and I won't go down without a fight." She could see the anger this inflicted for her so she started to egg her on some more. If she could distract her long enough she just might have a chance.

"You won't win!"

"You so sure about that? I know what it's like to lose everything. I also know what it's like to finally have my family back and I will fight to keep that. So bring it on sister. Show me you're not all mouth." Probably not the best thing to say because at that moment she charged at Lily in a blind rage. Lily was able to jump out of the way.

"You really have lost touch with reality, haven't you?" She continued to egg her on. She didn't have a plan but trying to wear her out, but she was proving to have an overabundance amount of energy.

"You don't know what my reality is?"

"Oh, I think I'm getting a good picture. You're looking for validation, looking for acceptance. Well let me tell you something honey, the only one who can validate you, is you and so far you're doing a real bang up job." At that moment Rivkin let out a primal scream and charged her again. Lily raised her iron to take another whack at her again, only to have it hit from her hands and she once again was on her back side with Rivkin on top. Then the girl fight of all girl fights began. Hair, pulling, eye scratching, fists flying, rolling in the dirt kind of fight.

**So I am terrible at describing fight scenes so please use your imagination and let me know what you think.-Anna  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews and for reading. And we continue…**

Chapter Nine: Regrouping

Aaron's POV

The sound of the blast had been deafening and Aaron had found himself in the bushes along the side of the road. He had been dazed for a moment and immediately after the initial shock had worn off he jumped to his feet. The explosives had certainly done their job as the whole house was engulfed in flames. At first he had a sense of smugness at the thought of accomplishing his plan. At first he wasn't even sure it would work, now as he watched his and Alex's handy work he was rather thrilled at the outcome. Then his enthusiasm quickly turned alarm as he noticed the fire spreading to the neighboring trees and few other structures, it had worked, a little too well. The original plan was to smoke her out and lay in wait so that he could pick her off as his brother snuck in the back way to rescue the girls. But when the whole hill side went up in flames he ditched his previous plan and went with plan B which was basically make it up as you go. He ran to the front of the building intended to get inside before the whole thing collapsed and he fear neither he nor Alex would get to them on time. He knew from their childhood experience that a fire was not the best situation for them to be in.

He rushed toward the door shielding his face with his arm and trying to get a visual of them. He didn't think about Rivkin being there, his only thought was getting them out. He coked against the smoke trying to see through it all.

"Lily". He managed to shout out. "Sarah". Still all he heard was the crackle of the fire as it started to lick up the side of the walls and into the rafters. He could hear the structure start to crackle and he knew it was only a matter of time before it collapsed. Calling out their names he continued into the room, his weapon drawn. He heard a commotion off to his right and made his way in that direction. A piece if the ceiling suddenly fell almost on top of him, blocking his way. Jumping back and trying to get his bearing amid the smoke, he almost fell into a hole. Upon closer inspection he discovered that it was a small cellar and that it was empty. He figured this was where the girls had been kept and with a little luck they were already out of the house. Once again he heard the noise and started to it only to have a figure suddenly rush past him and disappear into the smoke. He gave chase and soon found he was having a hard time breathing and seeing. He had to find a way out or he too would be lost and he couldn't bear the thought of Lily finding his body. He only hoped that his brother had gotten to them.

Dropping to the floor, he was able to breathe better and started to move back in the direction he had come in only to find that too was blocked. Looking behind him he was able to make out a window but before he could reach it he felt a pair of hands on the back of his pants, pulling him along.

"Come on brother, time to go." Alex said as he pulled Aaron up and to the window, pulling himself through with Alex close behind. After sucking in fresh air Aaron looked around and then back at his brother.

"Where are Lily and Sarah?"

"They are okay, I got them out and sent them to hide along the road way. Did Rivkin get out?" Aaron nodded his head.

"I think I saw her ran past me. She's determined I'll give her that."

"Mad too, in every sense of the word. We need to get our girls before she decides to go after them."

"Thanks for coming back for me but I gotta tell you, really stink Alex."

"Thanks a lot, you sound like your girlfriend." Aaron smiled at his brother and got to their feet.

"Speaking of which we need to go find them, I can't imagine that girl of yours staying put for very long and something needs to be done about this fire."

"I don't want to be around here when someone else decides to show up." Aaron added. "And your right, Lily is not going to stay in one place for very long."

They made their way up the road but attempting to stay out of sight.

"You sure this is where they went?" Aaron asked starting to get concerned. If Rivkin had gotten them she would show no mercy. He scanned the side of the road for several minutes until he moved on. He turned to talk to Alex once again only to find his brother had not followed and that his eyes were fixed on a point in the distance.

"Alex, what are you looking at?" Alex had a smile on his face and pointed in the direction he was watching. What Aaron saw he couldn't really be sure?

"Is that…?"

"Yes sir! Your girlfriend is beating the stuffing out of Rivkin." Aaron took off running just as he saw Lily on top of Rivkin pulling her hair!? When he got there he wasn't sure what to do. Both women were rolling around in the dirt. Both were covered in blood, scratches and bruises. Rivkin was screaming in another language at Lily and it didn't sound good. Lily was on top when she yelled back.

"If you intend to insult me, speak English!" She screamed back at her. Aaron picked that moment to pick Lily up and push her behind him. He could feel her hit his back in an attempt to go at it again. Alex in the meantime just looked down at Rivkin who lay in the dirt breathing hard and struggling to stand.

"I think she has had enough Tiger." Alex said to her still smiling. Rivkin suddenly struggled to stand and then collapsed passed out. "Yup, she's out."

"What is so funny about this Alex?" Lily asked still in fight mod.

""Cat fight. Respect." He said to her. Aaron just shook his head and brought Lily around to face him to inspect the damage. She was covered in dirt, her lip had been split and a bruise was starting to form under her left eye.

"Are you all right?"

"No, she made me mad!" Aaron pulled her to him, holding her tightly

"Still board?" He asked with amusement lacing his voice. She stiffened and let out a little gasp. Before she could answer however Alex asked.

"Where is Sarah?" Lily pulled herself away from Aaron reluctantly.

"I sent her to the woods when Rivkin attacked." They started off into the woods and suddenly she was there just on the edge of the wooded area and looking at Alex. Suddenly he was running to her and picked her up in his arms holding him close. Aaron and Lily turned away to give them a moment.

"I think he is finally happy." Lily said looking up at Aaron, one eye almost swollen shut. He smiled down at her and lightly touched the bruise.

"We need to get this looked at."

"I'm fine, really. But I might suggest we get going before she wakes up again. I don't think I will survive another go around with her."

"Oh, I don't know about that one. You did a good job this time around."

"Hey, you guys coming or what?" Alex yelled at them. Sarah found a place we can lay low for a few hours so that we can regroup." With one last look back at Rivkin they made their way into the woods stopping long enough for the sisters to fuss over each other and they disappeared into the woods just as Rivkin came to and watched as they disappeared among the trees.

**Okay so I had a slow start on this chapter but let me know. Please review and thanks for reading.**


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